It’s not about the way in which a person departs this life but by how they’ve lived it & the manner that they’ve touched so many others ~ tonight’s tribute to my god brother/cousin, Hassan Jeffrey left me feeling honored to have been a part of his life but saddened that I didn’t know the parts of his life that others shared ~ there was standing room only and many moments when there wasn’t

I said to someone recently that 2016 has had the ring of death in the air like never before & they attempted to shush me by saying that we just pay more attention to death now because we are getting older. I disagreed w/that statement then and still, now. 2016 is not even 5 months deep & the loss has spanned from celebs that we thought we knew because their faces were part of our

I am a picky eater — have always been. I love vegetables, dried fruit and smoothies, but I can’t live without seafood (particularly: fish & shrimp). I love rewarding recipes, blogs and articles that insight new ideas about what I might like to concoct in the kitchen. A late night commercial led me to this website, I Eat Grass that I plan to look into with passion. If you’re reading this, and know of other places

The other day I was awakened from one of the most startling dreams I’ve ever had. I remember wiping tears away because I was relieved by what the dream had revealed to me. In the dream, I learned that my mother had not actually died nearly 4 years ago.

Thank you, God for a morning that allowed me to: shine the spotlight on others whose gifts are worthy of true notoriety, fill a friend’s ears with loving encouragement, to hear music w/2 good ears after spending my yesterday trying to find a sign language interpreter for individuals who will never hear what I do, for being able to inhale, exhale and use 2 additional gifts called eyes! Thank you for my blessings ~

…so that God can heal your inner being and continue to bless you! I did something difficult today ~ something I have prayed on for moths ~ something I’ve kicked & screamed about ~ something I swore in 2015 that I would not ~ I found forgiveness in my heart & picked up the telephone that weighed nearly 100,000 lbs at that moment ~ I made ‘the’ call that I’ve dreaded ~ I was brushed

Joel Osteen’s message this morning reminded me to rid myself of ‘unforgiveness’ ~ something that I have been praying on for nearly 4 years ~ I replay in my mind those who wronged my mother, in life and death & it angers me while causing extreme pain… Unforgiveness is blocking my blessings.

Inspired by Michael A. Gonzalez’ article Slept On Soul/Randy & The Gypsys — mentioning an album by Randy Jackson’s band, Randy & The Gypsys that I rocked so hard back in the days! I popped one cassette, replaced it with another and ultimately brought a cd for my discman (dating myself, for sure – smile!). Reading that article made me think of other songs that put me in a great space & gave me the

I’m looking at my contribution to 2016’s Cupid Hunt Mix: Podcast Collaboration as an attempt to return to my own old norm. That was the norm when I loved, lived and breathed anything with a rhythm. So much has changed within me over these past few years … life has taken me on a journey that I would not want to repeat, unless it meant rewriting each chapter — and that will never be —

As the year 2015 winds down, thankfully I can say that I have made it this far. “Tomorrow is not promised,” is something we often hear — and may have even said ourselves. The honest truth is that the next minute is not actually promised to any of us!

Day 3 of the Soul Music Challenge: changing things up a bit because thoughts of my mom woke me out of a dream a short while ago. (I was calling out to her w/no response from her. I actually heard myself calling her & was alarmed.)— When I first heard Tamela Mann sing the song ‘Take Me to the King’ it hit me hard because it definitely could have been written by mom: she was

Looking back over my life: remembering 1990-1991, having spent my time during the Gulf War in Khobar Towers, under constant missile attack. The war was short-lived but the hard work of caring for, and being accountable for the Iraqi prisoners in the camps we supervised continued for us beyond the disturbance. As a member of the 800th Military Police Brigade, I met people from around the globe during that time & had hope that those

10/16 Night of Hope (Barclay Center, Brooklyn NY) God is in control of the storm — Joel People don’t determine your destiny, God determines your destiny — Victoria Osteen Sustaining faith provides the strength to help you through the fire! — Joel The days ahead are better than the days you leave behind! Sometimes God will push you into your destiny — Joel God’s dream for your life is so much bigger than

For years I’ve watched women — black sisters — fawning over silky #563 or wet and wavy #202 (sarcasm) and spending hundreds of dollars while doing so. In retrospect I look back on the image I created while trying to mask my own truth. My maternal genetics were imploding in my life — and were killing my hair follicles along the way. — fast forward 10 years — As I sat in the parking lot

In 2006 the world, including a community in Jamaica, NY shed tears for Sean Bell, a young, handsome groom-to-be who was assassinated on the eve before he was to wed Nicole Paultre (Bell). The tears turned to rage when every NYPD officer involved in the shooting of Sean, and members of what was to be his wedding party were acquitted of all charges! Fast forward to August 22, 2015 A celebration of a young life

I ran across this picture on pinterest, and it spoke volumes to the mystique within me. I think that it plagues many people that I don’t divulge my every thought or belief. I never found that to be a necessity in life. Besides, it keeps others on their toes when dealing with you…